Aram Manukian

Aram Manoukian or Aram Manoogian (Armenian Արամ Մանուկեան Aram Manukean, * 1879 in Zeyva, today David Bek, Syunik province, † January 29, 1919 ), also known as Aram of Van and Sarkis Hovanessian, was an Armenian revolutionary, politician Dashnak and general who led the resistance of Van and later became the Minister of the Interior of the Democratic Republic of Armenia. He is regarded as a political, military and spiritual leader of the Armenian people during the Ottoman genocide of the Armenians.

Early years

Manukyan (now David Bek ) born in Kapan, in the government of the Russian Empire Elisabethpol 1879 in the village Zeyva. In 1903 he was involved in the defense of Gandsak and Kars and joined the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF ). In the fall of 1904 he took a first trip to Van Persia, where he supported reforms. In 1911 he traveled to Geneva, where he remained for a year before he returned to Van and became the head of the ARF region. In Van, he took an active role in the Armenian community by teaching in schools, was agreed on with the press and Armenian youth circles supported. He was accused of the murder of another Armenian Bedros Kapamajian and imprisoned by the Ottoman authorities. Later he traveled as a teacher from Erzurum to Ordu. With the onset of the First World War and the genocide of the Armenians in 1915, he returned to the van. He led the successful resistance of Van against the attacking Ottoman troops. He co-founded the short-lived and self-proclaimed Republic of Van.

National

After the conquest of Van by Ottoman troops Manukjan moved to Tbilisi in Georgia over, worked in the ARF - party agency and the National Committee and dealt with the problem of refugees from Van. In November 1917 he was appointed chief of the Armenian Congress of Ostarmenier.

Politicians after independence

1918 sent the National Committee Manukian the Yerevan area as authorized representative. Those helped with the founding of the Democratic Republic of Armenia and appointed Manukjan for the first Secretary. He was also simultaneously appointed on 15 November 1918 Minister for Labour and Defence, a position he held until December 13, 1918. Here he organized the defense at the Battle of Sardarapat, which slowed the Turkish attack on the newly formed independent Armenia and the Vorschreiten to Yerevan stopped.

He fell ill in 1919, died on January 29 aged 40, and was buried at the Central Cemetery in Tochmach - Yerevan.